Monday, March 31, 2008

The good news to be taken from Barry Zito's start in Los Angeles today was that his curveball was working. Really working. The few he unleashed looked like those he used to throw five years ago when he was one of the best pitchers in baseball. The bad news...Zito didn't hit 85 mph with any pitch. On the other hand, Merkin Valdez who came in for Zito to start the sixth, threw a pitch that hit the screen behind home plate, bounced back, hit Russell Martin's helmet, then was clocked at 86. So, you know.

The Acceptable-

-Brian Bocock, in for an injured Omar Vizquel, looked like Omar Vizquel with a better arm. At the plate he was 0-1 with 2 BB (more than acceptable), but took one huge log of a shit when he was picked off first late in the game. Kids...

The Unacceptable-

-Aaron Rowand overthrew two (fucking two!!) cutoff men in favor of plays that weren't very close at all, allowing runners to advance to second both times. What did we all learn in Not Being A Douche 101? Hit the fucking cutoff man.

-After Dave Roberts started the Giants half of the first with a base hit, Bochy put on the hit-and-run, putting Brad Penny back in the windup, killing any positive vibe, and severely hampering any shot at a rally.

-4,000 fans showed up at AT&T Park to watch the game on the HD scoreboard. ComcastSportsNet, what with being the new broadcast partner for the Giants, unveiled their new sign, simultaneously unleashing a shitload of red, white and blue balloons to celebrate, endearing the Comcast brand forever to the super-environmentalist San Francisco populace.